Collars and Crowns
by Lecordonbleu28
Summary: Lady Marinette has everything she could want, friends, family, a title, and a future for herself. But when she wakes up somewhere she doesn't recognize, and her friends are so afraid of her they can barely speak, can she find out what happened and how to get home? Medieval AU!
1. Prologue

Dear Reader,

The following story is as true as they come. And I am only telling you this for your own safety. My name is Marinette, I am fourteen years of age and live in Koraldren, kingdom of the elves. The account you are about to read may seem a bit... unbelievable. But have faith in my words; it happened. Though, I never asked for it. In order to make it through this story, you will need three things;  
A large amount of faith,  
A distaste for waking up somewhere you did not fall asleep,  
And confusion as to why the person who is your closest friend is absolutely terrified of you… and she serves you breakfast when she is a princess, but that is beside the point.

My sanity may be in question by the time this is over, but hear me out. Read until the end, and everything will make perfect sense. Or not. If this ever happens to you, you have my sympathy as it is a terrible thing to go through. Although, the look upon my friend's face as I am reading this aloud to her is quite pleasing. She did not expect this, l assume? Of course she didn't. Ask me not of how l know of events l was not present for, for even l cannot answer you. Do not, and I repeat DO. NOT. Skip ahead, as this will only leave you more confused than when you started. I now almost laugh at some of the ordeals in my account, but l assure you they were no laughing matter at the time. Except perhaps for when Kristlen nearly fell off her horse... But I am getting ahead of myself.

I would like to thank you, dear reader, for choosing this account out of all the accounts in the grand library you have surely visited to attain it, and I pity the poor scribe who had the job to write everything down. But alas, as I see, I keep you with my idle chatter, so I now lay down my pen, and bid you luck upon your journey. You will need it.

With best wishes,

~ Marinette 

A/N- Hello Everybody! Cel here! I'd like to introduce my friend's newest fic! She doesn't have an account here on fanfic, so she asked me to upload the chapters for her. Everyone give a warm welcome to Dari! Chapter One is completed, but I will wait a few days to post it. Have a great day!

~Cel


	2. Prologue Part Two

The Lady Marinette and Princess Alya, the lady's oldest, dearest, and by far best friend were sitting together after a dinner that Marinette's parents had provided.

Alya was the equivalent of fourteen at the time, Marionette as well, but their ages never mattered to each other. They were practically sisters.

"The stars are pretty tonight, aren't they?" Marinette asked, snuggling deeper into her blankets.

"Yeah, they are." Alya smiled, she was always like that, always smiling.

"I'm glad you got to come over, my friend." Marionette continued, braiding a piece of her hair.

"Mmmhmm. Thanks to you and your parents for getting me and my brother away from the dreary castle for the weekend." Alya agreed. "Too bad l have to go back tomorrow."

The human groaned.

"Don't remind me! It's bad enough you live three day's ride from here."

Alya looked at her, eyes bright and inquisitive.

"We'll always be friends, right Mari?"

Marionette smiled. "Yes, of course! Why would you even ask that?"

Alya yawned.

"l don't know. Maybe just 'cause I'm an elf and you're a," she stopped herself.

"What? A human?" The dark haired girl asked with a slight smirk.

"Why should that change the fact that we're best friends? Not even best, we're more like sisters."

The Princess shrugged.

"Just makin' sure. You know, you and your family were the first humans l ever met…"

"Well considering we're the only human nobles in the whole of Koraldren, i'm not surprised. I've never even met any others aside from my family. But my father told me not all humans are good." Marinette replied.

The elf nodded at her, eyes solemn.

"Lord Thomas is a wise man."

A pause.

"But doesn't it ever get weird?" She asked.

Marinette smiled.

"You mean like that time l tried to point my ears and be an elf?" She laughed, remembering the ordeal it had caused.

Alya shook her head.

"All chaos broke free. NEVER do that again." the elf scolded.

"Don't worry, the look on your brother's face was enough to scare me into not doing it."

"Ok, my brother was scared out of his wits." Alya defended.

"He still didn't have to run down the hall screaming, 'we've been tricked! Marionette isn't a human! Call the guard! Aaahh!'" The other replied.

The elf shoved her in the arm. "You know he had not slept for a few days because of paperwork. How else could he have reacted?"

They looked at each other for a moment before cracking up, the idea of the crown prince of Koraldren running down the hall screaming like a maiden was just too much.

Marinette calmed herself and sighed.

"Well, l think it's time l get to bed." She yawned, rising from her chair and quickly grabbing my blanket, because it was cold.

"Excuse me?" Alya asked, standing as well.

"Did l say you could leave?"

"No, but I kinda am the host here." Marionette chided, tapping the elf on the nose.

Alya snorted.

"Aside from the fact l am your Princess."

Marinette held up her hands in defeat, once you begin an argument with Alya, there is no hope of winning. Ever.

"Fine. Your majesty, do l have your royal permission to leave and go to my bedroom?" She bowed in mock reverence.

Alya smiled in her triumph, as she always did.

"You may." She said simply before gliding past her to go to her own bedroom, which was on the other side of the wall from Marinette's.

"Princesses." She muttered as she too left to retire for the night.

 **A/N- Hello again! Dari just informed me that this was part of the prologue, so I will just make this the prologue part two. Chapter one will be up shortly. Happy reading!**

 **~Cel**


	3. This isn't Koraldren

Marinette woke the next morning with a pounding headache.

For a moment she wondered if she could get out of bed, and whether or not she wanted too.

The furs that covered her were so soft...

Wait a second, furs?

Marinette sat up and at once knew something was wrong.

Her bed didn't have furs, it had woven blankets.

This was not her bed.

This was not her nightgown.

This was not her room.

Where was she?

She surveyed her surroundings curiously, but with no small amount of caution.

The walls were white and plaited with gold, unlike the simple stone walls of her usual bedchambers.

Skins of slain animals acted as rugs on the floor, whereas her room had woven carpets, like her bed had.

A large mirror was on the wall opposite to where she sat, there was no sign of her small vanity.

This bed was far bigger than hers, and the silk sheets were of a much better quality.

The nightclothes She wore were richly embroidered, nothing like the simple nightshift she usually slept in.

The room itself was more luxurious than Marinette's, the curtains, the carpets, the wardrobe, everything.

"Where am I?" She asked herself aloud.

She saw that an outfit had been laid out for her, which was startling as she had always chosen from her wardrobe what to wear each morning.

It was definitely… fancy and elegant, Not at all like the clothes she always wore, which usually consisted of an ankle length dress, a sleeveless tunic over the dress, and an apron.

Silver lacings and gold trim in the shapes of animals and flowers were practically overlapping on the silky fabric of the clothes, which was another flag that this was not where she was supposed to be.

Marinette never would have worn something like this, to wear such clothes would be flaunting one's wealth, something her family is strictly against. Even the royal family hardly ever dressed in finery, preferring comfortable, simple clothes.

She shook her head, maybe this was just a dream.

A squeak from just outside the door alerted the girl, She reached for the dagger she kept beside her bed but found it wasn't there.

Marinette dove under the warm furs, leaving only her eyes in view, hopefully whoever this was would leave before they realized She was here.

She felt her heart speed up as she heard the wooden door moan slightly before opening.

The door to the room opened and a slender elf clad in torn and tattered clothing much too loose for her thin body walked in nervously, fidgeting with the tray she carried.

The atmosphere the girl carried was tense as a bowstring, and Marinette was sure she was suppressing the urge to hyperventilate.

The human watched the shoulder length hair of the elf shine and move from side to side as she gracefully walked, she could barely make out a thick metal collar on the girl's nape.

She saw, looking at the torn sleeves (If you could even call them sleeves.) on one of the elf's arms, she was covered in scars and bruises, a few were fresh, a few older.

Even on the legs and small portions of the neck that were revealed above the collar, one could tell that she was covered in all sorts of wounds.

All in all, the girl looked absolutely pitiful.

"My Lady… Are you awake?" The elf muttered softly, turning her trembling hazel eyes towards Marinette.

"Alya?" The human gasped as the elf turned. "What happened to you?"

This was horrific, Marinette would not have tolerated these marks on a dog, let alone her dearest friend.

She was determined to find out who had done this to such a precious creature, and oh how they would pay.

Alya flinched at her voice, she had obviously been hoping Marinette had not been awake, though why the human did not know.

"…Nothing happened to me, mistress." the elf whispered, making sure to keep her distance. "I did everything you had told me to."

The blonde was obviously scared to death, as she kept her head down, but Marinette could see her eyes frantically dart around the room.

"Why do you call me mistress?" Marinette responded, she tried to keep her tone gentle, but Alya just flinched even more harshly than before.

"…You are the mistress… and it is to you l belong and serve." Alya replied, nervous and terrified.

Marinette later found out that was what she was taught to say.

"What?" The human asked, utterly confused.

"I'm sorry…" Alya whispered quickly.

"If you would like me to call you by another title then…" she trailed off.

"No! l mean… yes… I'm Marinette…" She said, she wanted to scream in frustration, but somehow she knew that would only make things worse.

"l know that, my Lady…" Alya stared, utterly lost and worried this was another method to find a way to whip her.

Marinette shook her head, this was all just a bad dream, a nightmare that she would wake from any moment.

It had to be.

It _had_ to be.

"…l am not your Lady." Marinette tried again, in some nearly nonexistent hope that the elf would believe her, that this was some cruel prank orchestrated by their brothers, that someone would start laughing and she could breath a sigh of relief.

But nothing happened.

"…I do not understand…" Alya said softly as she began to set the tray on the nightstand, flinching with every step she took closer to her, fear radiating off her in waves.

Marinette could almost swear that Alya was trying to keep her heart rate down as she began to prepare the meal on the tray, lifting the cloth and straightening the plates.

"…What are you doing?" The human asked, swinging her feet over the side of the bed.

"…Are you not hungry?" Alya said quickly, her voice laced with distress.

"I'm sorry, would you like me to bring you something else?" The elf stopped buttering the toast with scarred and blistered hands.

Marinette shook her head again, she did not like this at all.

"No… Why are you serving me breakfast?"

"…Mistress l- … Do you not feel well?" Alya asked as she laid the butter knife back on the tray.

"You would probably like some water better… I'm sorry… I'll get it for you right away." she said as she stepped back.

"Alya, why are you doing this? Is this some kind of joke I don't understand?" Marinette asked, utterly confused and shocked as she stared at the very real cuts and blisters on the elf's hands.

Marinette laid her hands on the slender fingers and looked towards the hazel eyed elf.

"…Mistress… I'm sorry… could you tell be what you want me to bring?" Alya whispered quickly, pulling her hands back, now openly breathing hard.

She was just as confused as Marinette was, if not more. She feared this human more than others could know and she knew that she would be struck beyond her nightmares if she were to slip, even a little.

Marinette let the elf go, and Alya backed up a few good feet, still shaking.

The human got up and walked over to the red haired girl, who dropped to her knees as she came near her.

"Get up from there." Marinette commanded, horrified at the elf's prostate form.

Alya was too afraid not to obey, but at the same time she was too afraid to move to get up, so she stayed there, hoping that she would get a kick to the ribs and that would be the end of it.

Marinette, being nearly as terrified as the bowing girl was, stared down at the shaking form, not quite sure what to do.

Alya shut her eyes tight, squeezing back the tears that threatened to fall.

Silence from a master was never a good thing.

"Please," the elf said without thinking, shutting her lips the moment she let the word escape.

Marinette knelt down beside her, lifting the girl's chin to meet her eyes.

"What is it?" She asked, she realized she had to be gentle with her, she was confused and scared, just as Marinette was herself.

"D, don't h, h-hurt me t-too m-much, please. l did, didn't mean to b-be s-so bad. P-please." Alya whimpered out, curling in on herself more.

Marinette drew back a bit, absolutely shocked that Alya expected her to harm her in any way.

"Alya, you've nothing to fear from me, I promise. l won't hurt you."

The shivering elf dared to look up.

She saw no hate, anger, spite, anything that should, (or usually was) in the human's eyes.

Instead, she saw confusion, fear, and worst of all, pity.

"l am… Sorry, m, mistress. I, have n-no right t-to ask for, for either y-your m-mercy o-or your f-forgiveness. Punish me h-how you see fit."

Marinette was sick to her stomach.

When the human found who had done this to her friend…

She would make them beg her for their own death.

Fear threatened to grip the young human, but she knew for both of their sakes she must remain calm, she couldn't become alarmed, or anything that she may have accomplished would be undone.

"Alya, I am not going to hurt you. l am offended you would think that l am capable of that." Marinette said, placing a hand on her back.

The elf shivered harder, Marinette apparently had only made things worse.

"l am so, sor- sorry mistress… l meant, meant no offense. Please… I'm sorry…" she whimpered.

Marinette backed away from her trembling form, fearing to only make the situation even more dire.

Alya was about to say more, but was interrupted by the door opening with a loud BANG.

This man stared at Alya with hatred, the elf flinched away.

"What are you doing here!?" the guard demanded. "Didn't I tell you the floors need to be scrubbed?"

Alya nodded, moving towards the door.

"How dare you speak to her like that?" Marinette's enraged voice came, she was in between the guard and Alya in seconds.

"…Mistress…" Alya whispered quietly.

"You will speak when spoken to, slave." the man said, sidestepping around Marinette so he could backhand the elf into the wall, placing a mark on the girl's cheek that would surely leave a bruise.

Alya didn't need to be told twice, she got up from the floor and scurried out of the room.

Marinette wanted to go after her, but the guard blocked the door, only adding to her growing frustration.

"Who do you think you are!?" Marinette demanded, anger radiating off her form.

"My lady, is something bothering you?" He inquired, making her want to punch him square in the face,

"Yes! Something is bothering me! I don't know where I am, what's going on, who you are, you know what, I don't care who you are! But I do know you had no right to lay a finger on her!"

Marinette shoved him aside, looking down the hall, desperate for a glimpse of Alya.

There was none.

So she did the only thing a sane person who was nearly choked with frustration would do.

She screamed.

The guard was taken aback with the outburst.

"My lady, she was but an elf, not even human, why did you defend her?"

Marinette looked at him with an enraged expression, what did he mean 'just an elf'!?

Elves were the oldest and definitely the wisest and most regal species on the earth.

"She is not just an elf! She is trained warrior!"

The guard slowly backed away, as if looking at a lunatic.

"My lady, she is your slave, it is her duty."

"NO SHE IS NOT!"

Marinette grabbed a dressing robe and left the room.

She ran, not knowing where she was going or why, just that she had to get away.

Marinette knew this couldn't be her home, even if her brother was sick enough to do something like this, no guard of her father's would have gone along with that.

She dashed up a random set of stairs and noticed a familiar figure.

"Kristlen?" Marinette gasped, what was the Lady of Solorin, often called the fairest maiden of the elves, doing here, in this nightmare?

"Mistress." she said, bowing gracefully. "Is there something you need?"

Inwardly, Kristlen was wondering why the high and mighty Lady Marinette called her by her name, she usually found pleasure in the term the term 'elf.'

Or when she was mad, 'Slave' or 'filth'.

 _WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME THAT!?_ Marinette screamed in her head, barely keeping the words from escaping my lips.

She quickly regained her composure and asked,  
"Why do you call me mistress?"

"You are my mistress, whom I am bound to and serve." the elf answered like someone who had been brainwashed.

Marinette noticed the many bruises and scars that spiraled up Kristlen's forearm, the only part of her body exposed to view other than her head and upper neck, the lower part of her throat being locked in a steel collar.

Bile rose in the back of Marinette's throat as she could only imagine what the elf had been through.

Kristlen looked up slightly, curious if she was going to be kicked or struck.

But nothing came.

Marinette sighed, this wasn't going anywhere.

"Have you seen Alya? Do you know where she is?"

"…No, Mistress… l do not know where she is." Kristlen lied.

Kristlen wasn't about to tell her where Alya was, more than likely Marinette wanted to punish her for doing something wrong.

Lady Marinette was well known for punishing elves in horrid inhuman ways.

It was known but never spoken what she had done to Alya in the past.

Kristlen inwardly shivered at the thought.

"Well," Marinette sighed. "Thank you anyway."

The human left quickly, leaving Kristlen to ponder the meaning of 'thank you'.

Marinette ran and tried to find a place she could think, anywhere, anywhere at all.

Sometimes she would see people she recognized, but they were so afraid of her they couldn't even speak.

This created a knot in the pit of Marinette's stomach, knowing that for some reason the elves she had known all her life were terrified of her presence.

The human finally discovered a small alcove, it was secluded and private, though even there she could hear the most horrible things.

"Get up, you filthy elf! You stupid slave! You all are!" Someone was screaming, Marinette looked out around the edge of the wall to see.

An elf, a few years older than she was, was lying on the ground beneath a man who held a whip, the elf was sobbing, he had obviously made use of the weapon.

Marinette, though confused, was beginning to understand how things worked here.

She was going to put a stop to this.

The young human got up, and walked calmly over to the pair.

"You, guard." She said, mustering as much authority in her voice as she could.

The man's head whipped up, and upon seeing Marinette, immediately stood at attention.

"Yes, my lady?"

It took Marinette a moment to regain her senses once she realized that the guard did not have pointed ears, but rounded ones like hers.

He was human.

She quickly shook off her surprise and attended to the matter at hand.

Marinette motioned to the elf lying on the ground, still whimpering.

"Tell me this elf's transgressions." She was attempting to sound like her father when he was mad.

The guard visibly tensed, he tried to hide it, though.

"She did not address me as master." He said.

Marinette's blood boiled.

"Go. I will attend to the elf." She demanded, pointing back towards the door.

The man bowed and left, the elf continued to shake.

"Hey," Marinette said, kneeling beside the trembling form.

"I'm s-so sor, sorry. I did-didn't mean t-to be disrespectful. Pl-please, l ask t-to be gr-graced with y-your punishment…" the bloody form whimpered.

Marinette felt her heart break a second time at this elf's words, were all elves treated like this here?

Like slaves?

"What is your name?" The Lady asked.

The elf hesitated.

"Whatever you want it to be." She finally responded.

"No, what did your parents call you?"

The elf paused a second and looked up, as if unsure what to say.

"Marlena." She finally answered.

Marinette felt her heart rate spike.

Marlena.

Queen Marlena of Koraldren.

Alya's _mother_.

She seemed thinner, younger even, than she remembered.

"Marlena, my Lady." Marinette whispered, causing the elf to freeze.

"What did you call me?" she whispered.

"Marlena, l need you to tell me the truth. Do you have a child?"

Marlena's eyes widened.

"No, mistress. l have never married."

Marinette shook her head, this was messed up.

"Do you know an elf, his name was Otis?"

 _King_ Otis, Marinette mentally added, Alya's father.

Marlena started shaking again.

"He… he's d-dead. My L-Lady… l, You-your brother killed him…"

Marinette sucked in a gasp.

Her brother?

No, he would never…

"My brother?"

"Y, yes. After, after he d-discovered h-he was of a n-noble line."

Marinette closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer for herself, as she felt she may pass out.

Her king was dead.

Alya had different parents.

None of this made any sense.

The human cleared her throat.

"Go to the kitchen, get yourself something to eat. Creaneth knows you need it."

Marlena stared, this was a dream, right? It had to be a dream.

Had the guard beaten her so bad that she had died of blood loss?

"My Lady?" Marinette asked, holding out her hand.

"Wh-why are yo-you calling m-me that?"

Marinette shook her head.

"Never mind. Go to the kitchen and eat something, if anyone stops you, tell them I sent you."

The human paused a moment, reaching into her pocked to see if she could give the elf proof.

She found a necklace in the shape of a hawk, and handed it to the still frightened elf, who took it with trembling fingers.

Marlena looked at her a moment before bolting.

Marinette looked her way before sitting down and going over what she knew.

She wasn't in Koraldren.

The elves were enslaved.

Alya didn't know her.

Otis, her King, was dead.

People here hated the elven species.

Her most trusted friend feared her.

"Where in the blazes am I?"

 **A/N- Hey guys, I'm back again with the actual chapter one. Things have picked up quite a bit, so stay tuned for more! Also a quick note, I am experiencing this story as you are. Any questions will be sent directly to our dear friend Dari. Have a great day!**

 **~Cel**


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